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Airberlin and JetBlue Ink Cooperation Deal

by Mia Taylor // Travel Pulse Daily

Airberlin and Jet Blue have inked a cooperation deal designed to provide customers on the Germany-based airline with more flight options once they arrive in the United States.

The biggest benefits of the deal, according to an Associated Press report, involve improved transfer connections in the United States.

The agreement allows travelers to book flights to the United States with airberlin, as well as connecting flights operated by JetBlue to 31 U.S. destinations. The new connecting routes will be available through airports in New York, Boston and Orlando as of Sept. 12, according to a press release issued by the German airline.

The bulk of the improved transfers will be at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport, which is JetBlue’s hub. Airberlin flies to New York twice daily from Dusseldorf and once daily from Berlin.

Airberlin’s chief commercial officer also indicated that this may be just the first example of deepened ties and cooperation between the two airlines.

“Together, we are working to extend our partnership in the coming months,” airberlin Chief Commercial Officer Goetz Ahmelmann said in a statement.

Future cooperation between the two airlines is likely to include their frequent flyer programs. Plans call for allowing members of airberlin’s Topbonus program to earn miles on JetBlue flights.

Airberlin is Germany’s second largest airline, behind Lufthansa. Its partnership with JetBlue comes after a few years of financial struggles, according to Associated Press. The airline, however, declined to apply for German government loan guarantees, and instead pushed forward with restructuring efforts.